Life Starts Now
by ProjectWeAreOne
Summary: Carl is helping two scientists work on the first man created human life form. However unlike the other two he sees her as more than just an experiment, he sees her as a person.
1. Welcome to the Planet

_**July 22nd 1994**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

Three scientists were gathered around a small pod, as the sun beamed warmly through the closed glass window.

"We're close." Said the lead scientist, Alexander Victor III, as he peered eagerly at the pod below. "Dr. Vasquez, the hormonal injection."

Dr. Angela Vasquez took a rather large needle and injected it into the specimen. "It seems stable. Chryniszzswics, you want to give it a look over?"

Carl Chryniszzswics, the only one of the three without a doctorate, stepped forward and grabbed the specimen's hand, checking it over. Then the leg, then the head, then the chest. "It's ready to go!"

Angela and Alexander started the Electronic Pulse Starter and applied the pad to the specimen's chest, sending a charge of electricity through it.

There was silence. The scientists looked at one another sadly, fearing their experimental creation had failed.

A shrill cry of a newborn pierced the silence, causing the three to celebrate loudly.

"It worked! It worked!" Carl and Angela cheered, while Alexander looked down at it with a gentle smirk.

There in the pod play MCHLF 1:

Man Created Human Life Form (Version) 1


	2. The Tension is Here

_**August 18th 1994**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

A cry echoed loudly through the facility.

Angela sighed in annoyance and put down her hand of cards on the table. "Whose turn is it to change MCHLF 1's diaper?"

"I did it last time and you did it the time before I believe." Alexander said, fanning his cards slightly.

"Well, I guess it's my turn then." Carl said, placing his cards face down on the table. As he got up he pointed to Angela and jokingly said, "No peeking at my cards."

Angela laughed a bit. "I can't make promises, Chryniszzswics"

Carl headed to the pod that help the specimen, opened it, and picked it up. "Hey MCHLF 1, how are you?"

In reply the specimen cooed and giggled before gripping Carl's pointer finger with it's small hand.

Carl smiled. "Aw, you're pretty cute MCHLF 1…...You know…" He said as he started to change it's diaper. " MCHLF 1 is kind of hard to keepo saying, maybe I should call you something else. He paused for a moment and looked it in the eyes. They were big and brown. It's scars showed where multiple skin samples- mostly from Cuban donors- met. It's hair was short and black. "How about…..Landa?"

The baby cooed in approval as she grabbed Carl's finger again.

"I guess that's a yes." Carl chuckled as he cradled her. Landa smiled, then yawned and stretched her tiny arms into the air. Carl smiled more as he gently placed her back in the pod. He stroked her small curls, and kissed her forehead before closing it and heading back to the rec room.

"How is our experiment doing?" Alexander asked Carl as he entered.

"She's developing the same as any other infant." Carl said as he sat down and picked up his cards. "She's cooing, grabbing things, and recognizing her primary caregivers."

"She?" Alexander asked, furrowing his brows.

"Yeah. I mean we created her to be biologically female, and she's too young to tell us her gender otherwise." Carl explained.

Angela and Alexander blinked.

"It's gender isn't important." Alexander sighed in annoyance, putting his head in his hand, shaking it slightly. "It's just an experiment."

"The only time it would be of relevance at all is when s-...it's of puberty age, so we can see if...it has a menstrual cycle and is fertile." Dr. Angela added.

Carl frowned. "O-oh...I-I understand….."

However he wasn't sure if he did.


	3. A Harsh Comparison

_**August 20th 1994**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

Dr. Angela Vasquez hurried into the room with the crying infant. She picked up Landa and tried to figure out why she was upset. Angela finally settled on the conclusion that she was hungry and went to make her formula. She got the bottle ready and tested it on her hand before picking up Landa and feeding her.

Landa chugged about half the bottle before stopping and pulling away. Angela smiled gently for a second but stopped herself before positioning the baby for placed her back in the pod. However before she could leave, Landa grabbed her finger and cooed. Angela fought back another smile and gently stroked her hair. "You are developing quite well."

Landa giggled again as if she understood what she was saying and was proud of herself. Angela closed the pod and went off to continue working on other projects.

…..

Two hours later Landa cried again. This time however it was Alexander's turn to deal with her. "What the hell do you want!?"

The baby cried as he handled her roughly to check her over; her diaper wasn't soiled and she wouldn't accept a bottle. "Damn it! Why are you still crying!?"

He sighed angrily as he checked her body over for any external injuries. He grumbled to himself and yelled, "Chryniszzswics!"

Hurried footsteps could be heard bounding down the halls. Carl entered the room out of breath.  
Yes? What's wrong?"

" _That_ is what's wrong." Alexander said, pointing at Landa.

Carl went over and picked her up.

"I tried feeding it, changing it, everything! I don't know why it's distressed!"

Carl started rocking her back and forth gently, causing the crying to subside as Landa stuck her fingers in her mouth. "She just needed some love, Dr. Victor."

Alexander narrowed his eyes. "It. Not she. **It**. And we shouldn't waste our time on something so trivial when we could be working. Now put it away and meet me back in the lab." He walked off.

"Y-yes Dr. Victor." Carl said nervously. When he was out of sight, Carl gently placed her on the pod and gave her a kiss on the head. "Don't worry Landa, unlike Dr. Victor, I don't think love is trivial."


	4. Happy Birthday

_**July 22nd 1995**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

"What's that package you got there?" Alexander asked one morning, holding his first cup of coffee.

"Huh? Oh uh...It's uh my...l-lunch." Carl lied, wincing slightly. Alexander stared at him for a few moments before nodding and taking a sip of coffee before continuing on his way.

Carl thought he was all clear until he ran into Dr. Angela Vasquez who asked the same thing.

"M-my lunch?"

Angela looked at the package he was holding with two hands and blinked. "That's a lot of food there Chryniszzswics…."

"I uh….I'm uh….a heavy eater...today?" He fumbled.

"Just today huh." Angela tapped the bottom of her pen against her cheek in thought. "Can I see what you packed?"

"I-it's just food, i-it's not that interesting...I...um..y-you'll see at lunch." He tried to walk off.

"Right. I'll see you at lunch with _all that food._ "

Carl stopped. _Crap! What am I gonna do when it's lunch and I only have a sandwich?_

"I-I mean I might snack a bit, because l-like I said I'm a heavy eater...t-t-today I mean. H-hey maybe it's just a uh..one a year thing…"

"Right….I'll see you in the lab." When she walked off Carl sighed in relief and headed to the pod. When Landa saw him she cooed happily.

"Happy birthday Landa!" Carl said happily as he set the package down. "I got somethings for you!"

He reached into the bag and pulled out a large tub of soft plastic blocks. Landa's eyes widened in wonder as she saw them and reached out to grab them. Carl smiled and placed the tub next to her. She giggled, took a blue block and chewed on it.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Chryniszzswics! Are you coming!?" Angela called, startling him.

"Yes! I-I'll be there in a second!" He kissed Landa's head and went to the lab.

…..

During lunch Carl sat down with his sandwich, getting a quizzical look from Angela.

"I thought you brought a ton of food." She pointed out.

"Y-yeah l-like I said though, I-I snacked a bit…" He said nervously. "H-hey why don't we listen to some music huh?"

He went over to the radio and turned it on, letting _Waterfalls,_ fill the air, hoping the music would distract Angela from asking anymore questions. It worked for a while as they sat there in silence eating as the song faded into _Scream._ However at the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly, Angela and Carl looked over to see a very angry looking Alexander holding a blue block in his hand, tapping his foot on the ground. "Can either of you explain why this was with MCHLF 1?"

Angela looked over at Carl, waiting for him to explain. Carl nervously pulled and his collar and sweated as he tried to explain, "I uh..I..I was t-t-trying to see how she would r-r-react to o-objects. D-d-didn't we discuss this is s-s-something we'd attempt when she's this age?"

Alexander sighed. "Yes, but we needed to discuss it first,Chryniszzswics! I don't think you're taking this experiment seriously!"

"I am, I swear!" Carl whined. "I-I'm s-s-sorry I didn't consult you first…"

Alexander huffed angrily. "You should be sorry! You're lucky you're too important to this project to fire you…"

Carl gulped. "I-I understand…"

"Good." Alexander left the room.

"So you eat blocks?" Angela teased. Carl sighed and sat back down, picking at his sandwich now.

"I-I don't understand why he's so mad...It's her birthday, I-I just thought...I...I don't know…"

Angela frowned. "Chryniszzswics, it's not a child it's an experiment."

Carl felt a knot form in his stomach. "I-I...r-right."

The knot tightened.


	5. How We Do it Here

_**July 24th 1995**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

Carl held Landa in his arms as he prepared to draw blood. Landa giggled and cooed, not even anticipating a needle. "Stay still Landa, I promise it will only hurt a little…"

Landa giggled more. Carl's hand was shaky as he put the needled to the vein. Alexander walked in and saw Carl just standing there with a needle in hand.

"Chryniszzswics?" He asked.

"D-Dr. Victor?"

"Why are you hesitating?" He demanded. "This test should have been done ten minutes ago!"

"I-I didn't want her to c-c-cry."

"Give me that!" Alexander snapped, snatching the baby and needle from his hand. Landa cried and reached for Carl. "This is how you do it Chryniszzswics, pay attention."

He held Landa in one arm and the needle in his other hand, and guided the needle to a vein in her arm and drew the blood. Landa cried, but Alexander paid no mind to her and set her back in the pod. Carl cringed as she watched her flail her arms and sobbed.

Alexander was about to leave, but Carl stood there. Alexander looked over his shoulder, "Are you coming?"

"I-..." He looked at Landa again and felt a knot in his stomach. "I-I'm coming…"

He went over to the pod and stroked Landa's head in comfort. "Shh it's okay...I-I'll be back I promise…"

And with that he hesitantly followed Alexander.


	6. Terrible Twos

_**April 5th 1996**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

"Ow!" Landa whined as she sat up and bonked her head on top of the pod. She rubbed her head and whimpered.

Carl and Dr. Vasquez looked up from taking notes when they heard her sniffling. Carl went over to the pod and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Owie!" She sniffled, pointing to the top of her head.

"I think you're getting a little too big for the pod…" Carl said, picking her up.

"Yeah." She whined, hugging him as tears started to form in her eyes.

Carl turned to Angela. "What do you think Dr. Vasquez? You think it's time to move her?"

"Yes. In fact I think we're a bit overdue on doing so." She pointed out. "We should talk to Dr. Victor about moving her to the bigger room we have set up."

Carl nodded and Angela went to go speak to him.

"Owie!" Landa cried as Carl cradled her close.

"Shh it's okay." Carl comforted, rocking her slightly. Moments later Angela and Alexander returned and Carl hurriedly put Landa back in the pod. As Landa sat up she banged her head again and cried.

"See? As I said there isn't much room in the pod for her." Angela said.

"And as I said I wanted to confirm it myself." Alexander replied. "We can't be too hasty with our progression. We need to study it as in depth for all of it's life stages as possible."

"Yes, and we've moved past infant quite a while ago." Angela replied. "It's time to move her...it to the bigger room."

"All right." He picked up Landa as if she was a box and started walking, Carl and Angela following close behind. They all entered a bare walled concrete room with only a mattress on an old bed frame and a small toilet in the corner. (If Carl hadn't insisted on potty training her, she'd still be in probably too small diapers.)

Alexander set her on the cold concrete. "All right MCHLF 1, this is your new residence."

Landa looked around nervously and whimpered in fear.

"Chryniszzswics, can I trust you to write a report on how it is adapting to the location change?" Alexander asked.

Carl felt his stomach knot slightly unravel. "O-of course Dr. Victor."

"Good." He nodded and left with Dr. Vasquez. Carl sighed in relief and sat besides the whimpering toddler and pulled her into a hug, stroking her back and hair in comfort.

"You okay Landa?" Carl asked softly and gently.

"No!" She cried, putting her face unto his chest. Carl frowned and sat with her for a about a half hour, trying to calm her. Eventually her whimpering subsided as she fell asleep snuggled against Carl.

Gently he placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight Landa."

He slowly closed the door and headed back to the other two.


	7. The Last Straw

_**May 31st 1999**_

 _ **Victor Research Facilities**_

Angela wrote the final lines on her clipboard as she finished Landa's daily examination. "Everything seems to be in order today. I will see you at your scheduled midday feeding time."

Angela looked over her notes as she left, not noticing she left it ajar. Landa looked at the door with wide curious eyes as she saw a sliver of light peaking through the crack. Her curiosity got the better of her as she approached the door. She gripped the side of the door and slowly pushed it open.

The light outside the room was bright, causing her to shield her eyes and whine slightly. Slowly Landa stepped out and looked around. The lab was big and white, everything was put away neatly and there didn't seem to be a speck of dirt or grime anywhere. She looked left and right a few times before tiptoeing onto the linoleum floor. When Landa was fully out of the room she giggled in triumph.

Since there was no one in the area, Landa felt it was a great time to explore. She ran down the hallways and looked in every nook and cranny for something to play with.

In one cupboard there were empty test tubes that caught her eye. She tapped her finger against it and it made a small _tink_ noise. She smiled and did it a few more times before moving on. "Hm...I wonder what else is here?"

The next thing she came across was the fax machine. She started pressing the buttons and laughed whenever it made noises. "This is so cool!"

"Yes, I suppose it is _cool,_ MCHLF 1…"

Nervously Landa turned around to see the angered face of an old man and squeaked in fear. Alexander gripped her arm tightly. "What the _hell_ are you doing out here!?"

Landa whimpered as tears filled her eyes and she tried to jerk her arm away.

"Tell me!"

"T-the d-d-door was o-open…" She stammered.

"So you thought you could leave!?"

She nodded in fear. Alexander let out something that sounded like a snarl and slapped her. She whined as she backed up, not realising she was now trapped against a wall. He gripped her arm and hit her again. "You are stupid MCHLF 1! A failure!"

Landa whined and tried to back away, but her back only pressed against the wall more. He grabbed her hair and was about to hit her head against the wall, but at that moment Carl and Angela entered the room.

"Dr. Victor!" They both yelled in shock. Quickly he turned around and was shocked to see them both. Angela rushed over, removed his arm from Landa and picked up the sobbing child. "You horrible, terrible man!"

She handed Landa to Carl. "Take her back to her room...I'm not done with Dr. Victor yet." She gritted her teeth.

Carl carefully carried Landa back to her room and paused. He listened to her whines and looked at her face, bruised from Alexander's hits. Her hair was greasy and tangled, and her simple white clothing was stained all over.

Carl turned from her room, down a hallway, and outside, into his car, and drove away.


	8. Life Starts Now

_**May 31st 1999**_

 **Carl's Car**

Landa pressed her hands against the window of the passenger seat and looked outside with wide eyed wonder. She looked over to Carl hesitantly as he drove in silence.

"Where...where are we going?" Landa asked.

Carl sighed, unsure how to reply at first. "We're….going h-h-home."

"Home?" Landa asked, confused.

"Landa….I'm sorry. I-I should've done this a long time ago.."

Landa blinked. "Do what?"

"I'm taking you away from the lab." He explained. "It's not safe there."

"Oh.." She whined and looked out the window some more. The sun was setting, and the sky was a deep red orange, and the pink tinted clouds were starting to gather in bunches.

Carl glanced over at her, frowning, another knot forming in his stomach. By the time they pulled into Carl's driveway it was dark out. He unbuckled Landa and picked her up. Once they exited the car Landa shivered and pushed her face into Carl's chest to avoid the cold drizzle.

He hurried inside and headed to his room, placing Landa on his bed. She yawned and laid down on the bed atop the blankets. Carl picked her up and placed her under the blankets and rested her head on the pillow. "What's this stuff?"

"This is a pillow, you lay your head on it, and this is a blanket it keeps you warm while you sleep." Carl explained gently as he too got under the covers. Almost instinctively he pulled Landa close to his chest and hugged her. She was surprised but she returned the hug and fell asleep.

They slept, snuggled together, until Carl's alarm rang at Six AM.


	9. The Little Neighbor Girl

_**June 1st 1999**_

 **Carl's House**

Carl yawned and stretched before reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing his glasses. He cleaned them off with his breath and shirt before putting them on. He gasped when he saw Landa still latched to his side, taking a moment to remember what he'd done last night. He gulped, worrying about the consequences.

 _They're gonna come looking for her! I-I have to find a place for her to go...somewhere far away...a-and safe._

"Why are you sad?" In his thought frenzy he didn't realize Landa had woke up.

He looked over. "I-I'm fine Landa, I just have to...do somethings today, okay?"

"Okay." Landa said, kicking her feet idly off the side of her bed. Carl went to his Windows 98, and booted it up then started the dial up. Landa covered her ears at the loud sound and tried to get away from the sound.

First Landa headed to the living room and climbed onto the couch. She start sinking in the couch before and tried to squeeze out. She saw the TV and approached it curiously. She pressed a button and shrunk back in fear as a blue dog appeared on screen, barking "Bow bow bow bow bow!" Landa watched for a moment, still curious. Suddenly the dog leapt forward and pressed her paw against the screen, leaving a mark. A man in a green striped shirt went over and claimed they were going to play something called "Blues Clues". She watched it with a lot of interest and got completely absorbed in it.

The thing that broke her trance was the sound of a ball on concrete. Landa went over to the window and looked out to see a little girl bouncing a red ball on the sidewalk, smiling happily. She went to the door and hesitated, unsure if it was safe or not out there. She didn't know if Carl would get mad and smack her like Alexander did. She backed away and went back to the TV instead of risking it. She bounced on the couch as she watched. Everything was fine for a while until the old couch let out a low creaking groan and collapsed. Landa panicked and ran out of the house, worried she'd get hurt for this.

Landa was stopped mid run when she bumped into someone.

"Hey watch where you're going kid!"

Landa looked up to see a man in a black shirt, sunglasses, and a large pompadour. "I-I'm sorry."

"You better be kiddo, I'd hate to mess up my 'do." He pulled out a comb and started brushing. Landa took advantage of his distraction and ran off again. She stopped a few feet away from the man when she saw a little redhaired girl bouncing a ball on the sidewalk. She looked up and smiled at Landa. "Oh, hello!"

"H-h-hello." Landa said nervously, looking at her feet.

"I'm Suzy!"

"I-I'm L-Landa.." She mumbled.

"You wanna play with me?"

Landa looked up in surprise. "S-sure!"

Suzy smiled and bounced the ball towards her. Unsure what to do, Landa didn't grab it and just let it roll towards her, stopping only when it bumped her toe. She stared at it and Suzy stared at her blankly. Landa blushed in embarrassment and backed away nervously.

Suzy frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know how to play." Landa sniffled. Suzy picked up the ball and handed it to her before standing across from her again.

"Throw it back to me." Suzy explained gently. Landa nervously stimmed by tapping the side of the ball and looked up to see her smiling widely. Landa threw the ball, and Suzy caught it. "Now you catch it!"

Suzy threw the ball and Landa caught it. She smiled widely and giggled before tossing it back to Suzy. They did it a few more times until the man Landa saw moments earlier walked by, distracting Suzy form the game. She dropped the ball and excitedly waved, "Hi Johnny! You wanna play ball with us?"

"No kid, I'm busy." He said, not even looking at her as he walked by.

Landa assumed that was that and waited for Suzy to pass the ball again. However she was gone. Landa blinked in surprise and looked for her. When she looked over, she saw Suzy was clinging to Johnny's shoulder. "But Johnny-"

Johnny screamed in fear when he realized she was there. He grabbed her and put her down. "I said **no**!"

"Okay, we can play later." Suzy giggled

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go play with that other kid."

"Okay! See ya later Johnny!" Suzy waved before going back to Landa.

"He doesn't seem nice." Landa said.

"He's not as bad as he seems." Suzy replied. "He's just wants to hang out with older women. It's normal for him, even ask Carl."

Landa froze. "C-Carl?"

"Mhm." Suzy said, nodding. She pointed two houses away. "He lives there."

Landa whined as she started shaking.

"Are you okay?" Suzy asked.

"N-no. I-"

"Landa there you are!" Landa looked up and froze when she saw Carl run towards her. He picked her up. "What are you doing out here alone?"

She was surprised at how his voice had gotten so gentle so fast.

"I-I.." She whined. "I broke something…"

Landa flinched, expecting to be hit, but instead Carl laughed. "Oh the couch? That's been broken forever! I just haven't had time to replace it...I..oh...I'm sorry you got scared, but next time please don't run away."

"You two know each other?" Suzy asked, more curious than anything.

"O-oh Suzy I uh...I-I didn't see you there….t-this is Landa...she uh...she's.." He sighed. "Suzy...You can keep a secret right?"

"Of course I can, we're friends aren't we?"

Carl smiled, relaxing. "Y-yeah. And as my friend you have to promise to never tell anyone what I'm going to tell you."

"I promise."

"Okay good. Landa here is... _was_ an experiment to make the first man created human life form using donor organs. They called her MCHLF 1, but I felt it was too...arbitrary...and given that ninety-nine percent of her was created from donors from Cuba, I gave her a Cuban name, Landa. They didn't treat her good and I had to get her out of there."

Suzy frowned. "Th-that's awful…" She looked at Landa. "Are you okay?"

Landa just whined and hid her face in Carl's chest, then her stomach growled. Carl stroked her back in comfort. "Shh it's okay Landa. Come on, let's go get you something to eat. See you later Suzy."

"Bye." Suzy replied with a small wave.

Carl carried Landa to the kitchen and shifted her to one arm to open the fridge. He frowned when he looked inside and saw how empty it was. "Hm...I guess we'll have to go _out_ to eat….Well...I-I guess I can trust Pops...Come on Landa let's go get some food."


	10. Help Wanted

_**June 1st 1999**_

 **Pop's Moon Palace**

"What's that say?" Landa asked, pointing at a sign taped to the diner's window.

"It says 'Help Wanted'." Carl read to her. They entered. "Hey Pops!'

"Hey Carl!" Pops greeted as he turned around, drying out a glass with a wash cloth. "Who's this?"

"This is Landa….C-can you keep a secret Pops?"

"Sure I can Carl!...But the question is if I will anyway…"

"Pops!"

"Easy, easy I was joking! So what's the secret?"

Carl's eyes darted around to make sure no one would listen in. "This is Landa. She's the first man created human lifeform-"

"Aren't all kids made that way?" Pops asked.

"..." Carl just stared at him for a minute before continuing. "N-no Pops, I mean we created her from all donor organs. The lab was just so...bad….I-I had to get her out of there….E-even if that means I can't go back….Oh no, what am I going to do? I can't go back to my job!"

"Hm…" Pops but his finger under his chin in thought. "Well….I have a position open…"

"I'll take it! Thanks Pops, you really are a lifesaver!"

"Great! Bobo sure can use the help, and having you on frycook duty will help a lot."

"When do I start?"

"Right now." Pops said, holding out a uniform to him.

Carl laughed. "That's a good one Pops!"

However Pops still held out the uniform.

"O-oh." Carl said, taking the uniform. Landa giggled. "While I get changed can you get something for Landa to eat?"

"Of course I can Carl!"

He dished up a bowl of his famous five alarm chili and gave it to her. Landa looked at the bowl of bubbling red liquid curiously. "What's this?"

"Chili!" Pops said proudly.

Landa played with it with her spoon for a moment before hesitantly taking a bite.

"So...how's it taste?" He asked eagerly.

Landa spit it out.

"So uh if you're not gonna finish that can I have it?"

Landa looked over and saw the blond man from earlier and felt anxious. She looked away and stimmed with the bottom of her dress.

"Er, kid?"

Landa whined anxiously. Carl came back and went over to her. "Are you okay?"

Landa leaned close and whispered "T-that guy scares me."

Carl frowned. "It's okay Landa, Johnny's my best friend, he won't hurt ya."

Landa calmed down, but only slightly. Enough to push her bowl of uneaten chili towards Johnny which he gladly scarfed down.

"Johnny, this Landa…"

"Yeah, whatever nerd.."

"She's the first man created human ,life form-"

"Uh-huh."

"It was horrible there and I had to take her somewhere safe."

"Uh huh, yeah….Now get me some more chili, chili boy!"

"Okay, but can you keep an eye on Landa for me?"

"Y-yeah sure, just get me my chili!" Johnny whined. Carl went to the kitchen, leaving Johnny and Landa alone.

Landa slipped out of her seat with ease and went exploring. The Moon Palace was much more lively and colorful than the lab or even Carl's house. Each booth had people in conversations, laughing and enjoying themselves. Landa felt good seeing people being happy and carefree.

"Oh hello there little lady." An adult woman giggled.

Landa looked up at the smiling woman and smiled too. In the seat next to her was a little girl coloring away

"Aren't you just adorable?" She said. "What's your name?"

"I-I'm Landa."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Landa. I'm Dakini, and this is my daughter Ubon. Say hi sweetie."

Ubon grinned cheerfully, her two front teeth had already fallen out. "Hi! You wanna color with me?"

"O-okay…" Landa said a bit nervously as she climbed onto the booth seat next to her.

She picked up a red crayon and started to color a car. She scribbled all around it, leaving and aurora of red around the vehicle. Landa smiled proudly as she showed off her picture. "Look!"

Dakini smiled. "That's great!"

Back at the front of the diner, Johnny have just finished off Landa's bowl of chili. "Where's Chili boy, with my chili!?" He pounded his fist impatiently on the counter. That's when he noticed Landa wasn't by him. "Uh oh...Uh kid? Kid! Kiiiiid!"

He looked around the diner for her.

At this point Dakini was worried no one had come by to claim Landa. "Do you have a mommy or daddy around?"

"Hey baby."

Dakini looked up to see Johnny smirking at her. "That kid's mine, but does your kid need a daddy?"

"No she's got two moms who love her enough." Dakini sneered in disgust. "And I sure hope this child isn't yours you creep!"

"Okay, ….she's not…"

"Look, I need to find her parent, I don't have time for this!" She turned back to Landa. "Sweetie, do you know where your parent is?"

"Landa! What did I say about running off?" Carl asked her worriedly as he rushed over to the table. He picked her up and hugged her the faced Johnny. "I told you to watch her!"

Landa wanted to tell him she didn't need anyone to watch her, but instead she let out a small whimper.

Carl frowned. "It's okay Landa...Come on let's get you something to eat that you'll like, okay?"

Landa nodded a little bit. Carl took her back to the front and set her on a seat. He got her a sandwich using some of Pop's "not-so-mystery-meat".

It was something Landa actually managed to keep down. Pops got her some crayons and paper of her own so she could keep drawing. She starting drawing Blue, the dog she'd seen on TV and some of her paw prints. Something about her just made her happy.

She ate her sandwich as she drew and listened to the sizzling of the grill in the back.


End file.
